Allentown, N.J. – It’s Rise and Progress
(Part 51)
By: John Fabiano
Charles R. Hutchinson continued his recollections with residential development along Church St. and Dr. Farmer’s first hospital in Allentown, before the Imlay House.
In 1848, the streets known as Hamilton and Pearl were laid out by Daniel W. Bills, who then owned the tract of land in which they are located, and who also built on the easterly side of Church Street three double houses, the most northerly being that now [1914] in the possession of George V. Leming [71 Church], the next southerly that belonging to his present wife, late Miss Mary Peppler [since removed for Johnson Dr.], and the third is now owned by Annette Willen and Emma Raner [49-51 Church St.]. The house on the easterly corner of [35] Church and Hamilton Streets, where the late Mrs. Elizabeth J. Reed for nearly fifty years kept a small store, was built by George Reed (her brother in law) in 1849; and the house on the opposite corner [37 Church], where William H. Killey now lives, was built at about the same time by Joseph Applegate, together with a wheelwright shop on Hamilton Street which is still standing. The first house built on Hamilton Street was that now owned by Daniel L. Savidge and occupied by Elizabeth Higgins. It was built by John Gillum, who also built a wheeelwright shop, which he carried on for some years. Another of the earliest houses on that street was built by James P. Disbrow, who was a well known surveyor and conveyancer in his day. It is now in the possession of Anna A. Rogers.
The house at the easterly corner of [43] Church and Pearl Streets, where Mrs. Mary Smith now lives was built about 1849, by John James, Jr. [Allentown’s infamous Dr. Farmer lived here between 1927-37] and that adjoining it southerly [41], now Mrs. Mary E. Gulick, at the same time George Vanhorn. Both of these were carpenters and partners in that business. The next and remaining house in that block was built and first occupied as the Methodist parsonage, but I cannot give the date. Daniel L. Savidge has lived there more than fifty years [39]. The house on the northerly corner of [47]Church and Pearl Streets, now in the possession of Nathaniel Cafferty, was also built about 1849, by his father, Enoch Cafferty [Dr. Farmer’s 15-bed hospital from 1933 to 1937, before he moved to the Imlay House]. The first house on [11] Pearl Street was built about 1867, by John A. Clayton, house painter and chair maker, who also built a shop in which he developed quite a business as a dealer in furniture, and in which he was succeeded by son, James H. Clayton, who is still there.
The [Gov. William A. Newell] house at the easterly corner of West Main and High Streets was built in 1793, by Dr. Thomas West Montgomery, who lived there and practiced his profession for many years. He was the son of Dr. Alexander Montgomery, who married, in 1761, Eunia, daughter of Stephen West, of Shrewsbury.
The house in which Mrs. Anastatia Long now lives, next, south of the Methodist Church, was originally the cabinet makers shop of David McKean, Jr. and stood in the rear of his residence (the old Davenport house) on the premises now of Evans H. Ford [36 S. Main]. After the death of David McKean in 1837. Augustus Robbins bought this building and removed it to its present location, and it was occupied by himself and family until the death of his son Charles, the last survivor, in 19__, who left it to the present owner.The house of Peter Bruere, 1748, was a low one story house, and stood where is now that owned by George V. Leming and occupied by his son Walter. April 1, 1806, a later Peter Bruere conveyed these premises to John Palmer, for $1050, "Beginning at what is called the forebay, at the southwest corner of said lot: Thence N 44 degrees E 2 [chains], 50 [links] (165 ft.) to a corner: Thence S 24 degrees E 2 chains to the mill pond: Thence along the pond to the beginning; be the contents what they may." January 3, 1857, John C. Vanderbeek and Harriet N. his wife, conveyed to Lydia Sinclair for $700, a house and lot of land in Allentown: "Beginning at a stone corner to Theodore Crawford’s lot, on the south side of Main Street: Thence along his line S 42 degrees 30′ E 1, 23, to the corner of John Rogers’s lot: Thence along his line N 31 degrees 30′ W 1, 31, to the aforesaid street: Thence along the same S 43 degrees W 45 links to the beginning; containing 1/20 of an acre." March 25, 1865 Lydia Sinclair conveyed to Lucy Ann Burtis, for $800, the house and lot last described. April 2, 1872, John C. Vanderbeek and Harried N. his wife, conveyed to George D. Coward for $950, a store house and lot of land in Allentown: "Beginning at a stone even with John Rogers’s house, on the south side of Main Street: Thence (1) along said street S 43 degrees W 45 links to land belonging to Mrs. Lucy A. Burtis: Thence (2) along her line S 36 ¼ degrees E 1, 29, to John Rogers’s line: Thence (3) along his line N 53 degrees E 33 links: Thence (4) still along his line N 31 ½ degrees W 1, 38, to the beginning: containing 5/100 acres."
The lot containing 2 56/100 acres, which Robert Montgomery sold to John Palmer in 1816, was bounded southerly by the tanyard and northerly by the Imlaystown Road. It comprised the lot where John Palmer afterwards built the house [27 Waker Ave.] where Sterne P. Sprague now lives, including the small corner on the northerly side of the road on which there is a barn, and which he sold in 1912 to William H. Moore, the lot now owned by the Albert Nelson Company and the land on the southerly side of the road formerly Joseph Waker’s [12 Waker] to and including the blacksmith shop, and the meadow, now a part of Erville T. Weaver’s hotel property, which meadow was then a swamp. A small lot west of the blacksmith shop above mentioned, now owned by Stephen B. Bergen, on which is an ice house and stable, and on which, within my recollection there was a small one story house, was owned in 1861 by Tilton Pearce, who then lived on the premises now of Horatio Gulick. He also owned property on the southerly side of Main Street between the Mack house and that now belonging to Mrs. Ridgway Waln, now heirs of David M. Bunting, deceased. The wife of Tilton Pearce was a sister of David McKean, Sen., and they were the parents of Israel Pearce, "Esq." of Hightstown, whose daughter, Sarah was the wife of the late Thomas C. Pearce, of Hightstown (not related).
The house next to the little brook, on the northerly side of the Imlaystown Road [down Maiden Lane] formerly John Egan, late Mrs. Fredericka Spitz and now William Applegate, was conveyed by Mary Hughes to John Egan by deed dated April 2, 1844, for $350, described as follows: "Beginning at a stone standing on the north side of Imlaystown road, being the south east corner of Asher Borden’s lot: thence along his line according to the present bearing of the compass, N 15 ½ degrees E 1, 60 to a post corner to the said Mary Hughes’s other land: Thence along here line S 87 ½ degrees E 1, 41, to a post corner to John Palmer’s land: Thence along his line, S 22 ¾ degrees W 97 links to the side of the aforementioned road: Thence along the same, N 74 ¼ degrees W 1, 69, to the beginning: containing one quarter of an acre of land, be the same more or less." This deed was written by and acknowledged before James P. Disbrow, Master in Chancery.
Historically Speaking is a regular column presented by John Fabiano, MA, designated historian for Allentown Borough.

